


Iwaizumi Hajime: The Arm-Wrestling Legend

by reysofsunshine16



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Arm Wrestling, California, Gen, Haikyuu!! Chapter 402: Final Chapter: Challengers, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, Light-Hearted, POV Outsider, Post-Time Skip, Slice of Life, UC Irvine, University Life, college days
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28254870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reysofsunshine16/pseuds/reysofsunshine16
Summary: All his volleyball friends back in Japan knew Iwaizumi as the arm-wrestling champion, but will his title follow him all the way to his college days in America? Follow the story of UC Irvine students who encounter Iwaizumi during his time in California and how his name gets known throughout the university."But hear me out: arm-wrestle me. Yeah bro, right now. If you win, you can keep this UC Irvine Powerlifting magnet.”
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Danny, the Powerlifting Team president at UC Irvine, sees Iwaizumi and challenges him: If Danny beats Iwaizumi to an arm-wrestling match, Iwaizumi has to write his contact information down on the club sign-up form.

Fall 2012. Iwaizumi, 18 years old, College Freshman

Danny was getting bored. He had been manning the UC Irvine activities fair table since 1:00 pm with his friend, Mike, and he hadn’t seen any freshmen that looked like they could be serious weightlifters. Since this was the second year that the powerlifting club became an official organization on campus, Danny needed a few more recruits to show his club had potential for growth and replace the seniors that graduated. The seniors entrusted the presidency to Danny to get the team back to nationals. Danny couldn’t let the new organization die.

He took a quick glance at the time, but his face became sour when he checked the sign-up list. According to his laptop, it was already 3:30 pm, and he only had a weak showing of ten interested students. Not only that, but some of the freshmen that signed up looked like freshmen in high school instead of actual fresh eighteen-year-old men. Pitiful, really. Disappointed with the prospects, Danny was on the verge of resigning the activities fair until he saw a strong-looking Asian guy strolling along the fair with a friend that seemed Latino. 

“Hey, you! Over there! Bro, you lift? Sure seems like you do. Join the Powerlifting club!” Danny, as president of the Anteaters UC Irvine Powerlifting Club, excitedly called out to the Asian guy, with dark, spiked up hair.

Startled, the Asian freshman stopped walking along with his friend. ”Uhhh,” The guy started, awkwardly pointing a finger at himself as if to ask: _me?_

“Yeah, you! Get over here, man.” Danny gestured over to their table. Caught in his trap, the Asian guy and his friend could either ignore Danny and look like jerks, or comply with Danny’s request. Begrudgingly, the two freshmen came over to his table. Danny beamed ready to shove his laptop in their hands.

“Dude, how much do you lift? Your arms are huge!” Mike exclaimed. Somehow, the freshman looked as swole as him. 

“I’m not sure. Maybe...sixty kilograms?” The freshman responded with a level of uncertainty. Danny noticed that his hesitance probably stemmed from a lack of confidence in his choice of words and a noticeable accent.

“That’s sick, man. What’s your name? I’m Danny, president of our new Powerlifting Club and the guy next to me is Mike, the VP. Nice to meet ya.” Danny extended his arm to shake the newcomer’s hand. Although it was out of respect, it was secretly also a ploy so that he could feel the freshman’s hand strength and confirm his suspicions. 

“My name is, Iwaizumi-- Hajime Iwaizumi. This is my roommate, Pablo.” Hajime respectfully shook Danny’s hand while Pablo waved. Hajime’s handshake did not disappoint. There was no shot Danny could let Iwaizumi leave without making him sign up. 

“Dude, were you part of the wrestling or football team in high school? You look hella strong,” Mike, his teammate encouraged.

“I was part of my school’s volleyball team back in Japan,” Hajime replied, getting comfortable with the conversation. Danny noticed a smile starting to form at the mention of his former volleyball team.

“Oh cool! So you’re an international student. That’s a long way from home. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan.” Danny commented, getting more excited at the possibility of having Hajime on the team.

Before Mike could allow Danny to practically beg Hajime to sign up, he decided to step in, “Volleyball, huh! If you want a change of scenery, you should try powerlifting! Danny and I competed in national competitions last year. We didn’t win, but we were ranked top 20. But with you on the team, we could easily break top 10.” 

“Uhh, thank you but I must, uh, what’s the word? Ah, decline. I need to practice my English and focus on school. We’re both international students.” Hajime pointed at himself and Pablo at the mention of international students. Pablo nodded, confirming Hajime’s words.

Danny tried not to let his face visibly drop with disappointment. He needed those arms--Hajime--on the team! He instantly perked up, eyes beaming, thinking of a guaranteed way to get him to sign up. 

“Alright, alright. I get ya,” Danny began. “You definitely have it harder than most freshmen getting accustomed to college, especially since you’re new to the country. But hear me out: arm-wrestle me. Yeah bro, right now. If I win, you have to write your name down and attend the interest meeting next week. If you win, you can keep this UC Irvine Powerlifting magnet.” 

Danny pointed to a blue, oval shaped magnet that pictured an anteater lifting a barbell with the words. “University of California- Irvine, Powerlifting Team” on top. Danny had asked a brother from Mike’s fraternity to ask his girlfriend’s cousin to custom print the magnets and Danny was quite proud of the result. Danny could see the gears turning in Hajime’s head. Pablo, the roommate, was encouraging him to participate. 

“Wow, so this is the _gringo_ experience; go for it Hajime! We need to get all the free stuff we can get our hands on,” Pablo audibly whispered.

Hajime furrowed his eyebrows in thought. After a few seconds of deliberation, Hajime grinned. “Okay.”

His roommate, Pablo, clapped his hands in excitement. Hajime’s whole demeanor changed. Instead of the hesitant freshman Danny beckoned to come over to the table, he was quite possibly looking at a seasoned arm-wrestler. Hajime’s muscles relaxed, a smirk settled on his face.

_Am I about to get hustled?_ Danny’s eyes widened, realizing that the Powerlifting Team’s new reputation could be on the line. He sure hoped Mike’s frat brothers’ don’t witness this. _What did I get myself into?_

Somehow finding renewed confidence, Danny began ordering Mike to rearrange their table into a makeshift arena. The magnets and laptop were put aside; the tablecloth was removed. A few freshmen strolling by noticed the commotion and stopped by the table to eavesdrop.

“Mike, bring your chair to the other side of the table so Hajime can sit down. Two out of three? That way I can give you a chance at winning.” Danny pompously claimed as Mike brought the chair over.

“Okay, bring it!” Hajime exclaimed. Hajime sat down onto the folding chair and completed a cross-body arm stretch for each limb. Danny could see Hajime’s muscles flex against the sleeve of his sea-green t-shirt. _I lift more than him,_ Danny repeated to himself.

“You got this, Hajime! _Vamos, tu puedes!_ ” Pablo encouraged, slipping into his native-tongue. He shook Hajime’s shoulders in excitement for the magnet they were about to win. It looked like Pablo was more interested in getting free stuff rather than watching his roommate win.

When both competitors finished stretching, each rested their right arms over the table, with their elbows touching the surface. Mike, taking the role of referee, adjusted his position so that he was perpendicular to the competitors on the right side of the table.

Mike announced, “Alright, I’m going to grab your hands. On the count of three, I’ll release my hand and you guys can begin. Ready? One...two…three!” 

A mere second after the sound of three, there was an audible bang on the table. The noise startled the neighboring tables and passersby. Hajime had just mercilessly slammed Danny’s hand on the table. Excited chatter could be heard as Danny, president of the Powerlifting Club, was defeated in two seconds. As Hajime released Danny’s hand, Danny tried not to let his mouth gape like a fish.

“Yo, did you see that!?” 

“He’s a freshman!”

“I just blinked, and round one was over!”

“I got it all on video!” A familiar giggle followed that last comment. _Was that his girlfriend?_ _When did she show up?_

Bewildered chatter could be heard as the freshmen recounted what they saw to each other.

“Dude, you got game!” Mike proclaimed his smile wide in disbelief. He quickly turned to Danny, “Bro, step it up, we need him on our team.”

“Let’s go, Hajime! One more!” Pablo cheered. It seemed like he was already starting to plan who else Hajime could challenge for more stuff. Danny internally groaned.

Danny really hoped nobody noticed how worried he was. The reputation he had built last year was going to need some major repairs after this. Danny mentally sighed. _How could a volleyball player be this strong?_

“Okay, okay. I’ll give you that one. I was going easy on you though. You’ll be signing up after the third round!” Danny conceded, trying to build his confidence back up.

Hajime just smirked in response. 

The significant increase in Hajime’s confidence level was astounding. _Damn, I think I might’ve really been hustled._

“Round two, get in positions,” Mike began. While Danny and Hajime were getting ready, performing last minute stretches, Mike was momentarily delayed from continuing the competition due to the arrival of two guys wearing red Greek letters on the front of their black muscle shirts.

“Aye Mikey! I saw a crowd form by your table, and I knew something was up. We had to check it out ourselves.” The blond fraternity brother interrupted.

Mike grinned and moved to greet his friends with one-armed hugs. “All good, Matt. You and Andrew came at a good time. You guys get to be another witness to Danny’s straight murder in an arm-wrestling competition.” Mike explained to his brothers. 

Danny shot a look of betrayal to his teammate. “Dude!” Danny whined, “Show some support!” 

He could feel the hot September sun against his head. Sweat started to pool at the nape of his neck from the combination of the heat and embarrassment from losing the first round so easily. From the corner of his eye, Danny saw Hajime and Pablo chuckling between themselves. The crowd surrounding their table had slightly increased since Mike’s frat brothers came over. _At least the club is getting advertising,_ Danny tried to think positively. 

“Alright, enough chit-chat Mike. People are waiting for Hajime’s defeat!” Danny initiated.

“I’m not sure that’s what they’re really waiting for,” Hajime responded dismissively. “You’ll need to ice your arm when we’re done.”

There was a collective _Ohhh_ as the front-row crowd heard Hajime’s retaliation. 

Mike addressed his friends again, “We’ll chat later, ‘aight? Danny’s getting impatient to lose. Get ready to see this.” Mike gestured over that table, pointing at Danny’s look of annoyance.

As Mike finished his conversation, Danny and Hajime adjusted their arms against the table, preparing themselves for Mike’s count-off. Mike readjusted his position again so that he had better access to referee the match. He held Danny’s and Hajime's hands together so that there would be no cheating. 

There was no turning back now.

The crowd followed along to Mike’s count, “One...two...three!” At the sound of three, Mike released their hands from his grip.

Danny, with all his might, held Hajime off for five seconds before his right hand ultimately smashed against the table for a second time in a row. Hajime let go of his hand and fist pumped the air with a smug expression. Danny stared at his right hand in disbelief. He thought he was a pretty strong guy, but apparently there were stronger guys fresh off the boat. His loss was a slap in the face. To make it in the top ten for powerlifting in the country, he had to train harder this year. 

Danny could see Pablo celebrating with Hajime. He could hear multiple exclamations throughout the crowd. Of those that stood out, he remembered:

“I hope this goes viral!”

“Dude, we gotta recruit him for Pike next semester.”

“Imagine being choked by those arms.” “Imagine! Ugh, if only I could be that lucky.”

Even though he had lost, Danny prayed that his small publicity stunt would inspire others to give powerlifting a try. Mike put the laptop back on the table so that the stragglers who witnessed the match were encouraged to sign up after the exhibition. Accepting defeat, Danny gave a genuine smile to Hajime and made direct eye contact. 

He commented, “You beat me fair and square, bro. You’re like, mad ripped. Are you sure you don’t want to join the club?” 

“I’m good, thank you though. Sorry,” Hajime paused. “I should probably tell you that I would actually win against my volleyball friends back home. If that makes you feel any better. They would always challenge me, but I would always beat them. They would even try using two hands to win,” Hajime finished with a laugh. 

“I knew it! You were way too confident going into this.” Danny reached down to the floor to grab a magnet from the pile that Mike left below the table to make room for the match. 

“As promised, here’s your magnet. They’re one of a kind. Something to remember today by.” He handed it over to Hajime.

By now, the crowd dispersed, the excitement finished. Besides himself and Hajime, the only people remaining were Pablo, Mike, Matt, and Andrew. Danny assumed Mike and his friends were trying to explain the purpose of Greek organizations to Pablo, while Danny finished with Hajime. Hajime grabbed the magnet from his hand and silently gave it to his roommate to put it in his string-bag.

“Thanks for the match; I’ve missed this. Hopefully your arm won’t be too sore tomorrow.“ Hajime joked.

Danny laughed heartily. “No problem. Only my pride was wounded. Thanks for making me face reality though. I gotta get stronger to take on nationals this year. I’m an exercise sciences major so I know a few arm stretches.” 

Hajime raised his eyebrows; there was a certain glint in his eyes at the mention of nationals and exercise sciences. 

“I am an exercise sciences major as well! What year are you?” Hajime excitedly asked. ”My best friend and I would also get motivated by our volleyball match losses to work harder for nationals.”

Danny couldn’t help but grin at this. It appeared Hajime and him had a lot in common. He would be seeing Hajime around campus after all! Danny still had two more years to convince him to join the team. 

“Oh sweet, that’s awesome! I’m a sophomore. If you need any books let me know. I have all the PDFs. How about this? Type your name down on the club signup list so that we can keep in touch. There’s not many of us; our major is pretty small. Feel free to ask me any questions about the major or about school in general,” Danny excitedly negotiated.

“To think I’m still writing my contact information down despite the win. I can’t ignore those textbooks though,” Hajime laughed. Hajime reached over the table to type his name, email, and phone number. 

“Yeah I guess I should have started off advertising the free exercise sciences textbooks instead. Definitely, would have avoided getting my ass handed down to me.”

“But that was the best part! Thanks again for the match and books.” Hajime slightly bowed in gratitude.

“No problem. Like, feel free to reach out, any time. Freshman year is tough. Especially Gen Chem.” 

“As much as I want to continue asking you about classes, we have to continue with the fair so that Pablo doesn’t complain about missing all the free stuff. That’s one of the customs I have found interesting so far about America. So many free things. Pablo, are you ready?” Hajime called out to his roommate.

Danny looked over Hajime’s shoulder, and saw Mike and his frat brothers exchanging phone numbers with Pablo. He overheard Mike saying that there was going to be a welcome-back rager the following Friday.

“Yeah, I am almost done!” Pablo responded as he put his phone back in his pocket.

“We will keep in touch, Danny. Let’s go Pablo. We have more free things to get! See you around.” Hajime nodded to Danny, stood up, and walked over to Pablo.

Danny, Mike, and Mike’s fraternity brothers bid one last final farewell to the freshmen. They watched the pair leave their table and continue with the activities fair. All Danny could think of was the crazy turn of events that transpired this afternoon. The freshmen were an interesting pair. He was thoroughly impressed with Hajime and hoped to stay in contact with him. Despite his defeat, Danny took it in stride. Although the loss was just about arm-wrestling, it just served as another source of motivation to beat his personal records and to get stronger. Danny felt better knowing that he’ll still see Hajime on campus even though he couldn’t convince him to join the team (yet). Plus, he may have witnessed that start of a new legend on campus: Arm-Wrestling Guy. _What a day_ , Danny smiled to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Ashley works out, her friend spots someone familiar bench pressing. She realizes it’s Arm-Wrestling Guy–- exercising with her crush.

It was the third week of the second quarter, and Ashley Nakamura was accompanying her best friend, Kirah Jones, at the campus gym. Normally, she would workout with her volleyball team at the athletics gym every afternoon, but Kirah had convinced her to exercise with her on a Saturday morning by promising physics help in exchange for companionship. She was slightly behind in her studies since she was balancing classes, volleyball, friends, and internship applications. Juggling so much left Ashley no choice but to have to wake up early on a Saturday to accompany Kirah. 

Both girls were biomedical engineering freshmen who bonded over their mutual love for volleyball and science. Although Kirah was not part of any UC Irvine sport teams, she previously played volleyball in high school. They met because they were the last two to arrive at their BME1 class and were forced to sit next to each other. Their friendship continued once Kirah saw Ashley’s “UC Irvine Women’s Volleyball Team” apparel during class and immediately asked her what position she played. They complemented each other not only in their interests, but also their academic abilities. In Kirah’s own words, it was a tragedy that they didn’t meet sooner or shared all the same classes. They would have had an easier time transitioning to college with each other’s help.

Ashley and Kirah have been at the gym for almost an hour doing various workout routines. Currently, they were using the leg-extension machine and their topic of conversation centered around Arm-Wrestling Guy, the upcoming legend on campus.

“I bet he can deadlift 300 lbs.” Ashley theorized.

“Pssh, that was my personal record when I was at my peak. He could probably do at least 350 lbs.” 

Arm-Wrestling Guy has been on their minds since the two of them saw a video on the UCI Class of 2016 Facebook Group. The video sparked a campus movement to challenge the student whenever someone crossed paths with him. The brave few that followed through with the challenge would post a selfie with Arm-Wrestling Guy after their defeat. The legend-in-the-making was so nice about the situation that he would always indulge a fellow student’s request for a photo. According to the internet comments, he hasn’t lost a match yet. Lately, it seemed as though Arm-Wrestling Guy was all Kirah could talk about. Ashley didn’t fully understand the hype but it was funny to entertain Kirah by going along with her friend’s recent obsession. As they worked out, absentmindedly hypothesizing about what feats Arm-Wrestling Guy could do, Kirah suddenly started to repeatedly hit Ashely’s arm to get her attention.

“Ash! Look who it is!” Kirah excitedly blurted out. With the distraction, Kirah stopped her exercise routine and pointed at a pair of guys that were entering the gym. Both males had stopped to swipe their student IDs at the welcome desk scanner and grabbed wipes to sanitize their gym equipment of choice.

Ashley quickly paused her repetition and looked over to where Kirah was pointing. The guys were now headed to the bench press. She recognized the taller one immediately. He was in many of her general engineering courses and she had taken a liking to him last quarter. The tall Latino was one of the few students who would sit front row in their lectures no matter the time of day. His accent was especially pleasing to listen to when he answered questions at their 8:30 AM physics lecture. However, it seemed that Kirah was pointing to his friend: a Japanese-looking student who looked distinctly familiar. 

Noticing Ashley’s confusion, Kirah promptly explained, “It’s Arm-Wrestling Guy!” It suddenly dawned on her why the Japanese student looked so recognizable-- it was the same guy who had mercilessly beaten the Powerlifting Club president in an arm-wrestling match a few weeks ago, Arm-Wrestling Guy. 

Part of the reason Kirah followed the saga of the Arm-Wrestling Guy because she christened his biceps as “drool worthy.” As an outside hitter in high school, Kirah spent a lot of her time developing her arm strength over the years so she knew when to appreciate an athlete’s hard earned muscles. Ever since Kirah showed Ashley the first video, Kirah kept mentioning to her how much she fantasized about having the opportunity to try out his strength for herself.

“You know, his friend is actually in almost all of my classes. He’s the guy that I’ve been kind of into recently,” Ashley casually mentioned. She used this opportunity to take a sip from her water bottle. From the corner of her eyes, Ashley noticed Kirah’s face slowly start glowing with excitement. 

“Ash! This. Is. Perfect. We are so capitalizing on this opportunity. You’re going to meet your man so that he falls deeply in love with you and I’m going to live out the UC Irvine dream of challenging Arm-Wrestling Guy.” Kirah loudly whispered as she stared directly into Ashley’s eyes, leaving her confused as to whether or not she was kidding. 

“Uhhh, yeah I don’t know about that one Kirah. We haven’t even talked to each other yet! We’ve only, like, smiled and stuff.” Ashley looked away from Kirah and mumbled, “Plus, this isn’t the time. We’re in the middle of a workout.” 

Ashley continued stealing glances at her Physics class crush who was spotting for Arm-Wrestling Guy. The amount that Arm-Wrestling Guy benched pressed looked insane. From her angle, it seemed that Kirah’s theory of how much he could deadlift applied to how much he could bench press.

Noticing Ashley’s not-so-subtle staring, Kirah conspired. “Oh girl, we’re going to make the time. Look, here’s the plan: The water fountain is literally by the corner where the bench presses are located. We’ll use the opportunity to refill our water bottles and on our way back, you can say hi to him! I’ll be maid of honor at the wedding. Easy and full-proof. We’re doing it. Let’s go.” Kirah declared as she was just about to start dragging Ashley by the arm. At the mention of a wedding, Ashley’s eyes widened as she pulled Kirah back. She was desperately trying to come up with fault in the plan to avoid the possible embarrassment. 

“Ok hold up, one problem. We both still have more than enough water,” Ashley insisted in a bit of a panic. She  _ really _ didn’t want to make a scene this early. How far was Kirah willing to go for Arm-Wrestling Guy?

At Ashley’s response, Kirah rolled her eyes, grabbed her own water bottle and chugged it dry in seconds. Kirah then shook her empty bottle at her to make a point and replied with a feigned innocent smile, “I don’t. See? Emp-ty.”

Sometimes, she forgot how one-track minded Kirah could be. She contemplated her choices. If she declined, Ashley would most likely fail her next physics quiz without Kirah’s help. If she accepted the crazy plan, there was a possibility that they would make a scene, but she would have the opportunity to talk to her crush and stay on Kirah’s good side later. 

She sighed, mind made up in defeat. Hearing Ashley’s exhale, Kirah evilly grinned already knowing her decision. Ashley took a page out of her friend’s book and finished her water bottle in a record amount of time. Luckily, there weren’t that many people who woke up early on a Saturday who would witness the potentially extremely awkward situation. 

“Yes, Ash! You won't regret this!” Kirah cheered. “Let’s start heading over while I think of our opening approach.” 

Resigned, Ashley stood up at the same time as her friend. With their water bottles in hand, they quickly cleaned their respective equipment so that they could catch the guys before they finished their workout. 

As they walked, there was almost a manic glint in Kirah’s eyes as she schemed, “Ooooh. How about you ask for some physics help!? I won’t be able to help you all the time since I AP’ed out. And while you talk to him, I’ll challenge Arm-Wrestling Guy!” 

“Uhhh, sure, I guess. I mean, it’s better than nothing.” Ashley mused over Kirah’s plan. Technically, it was a win-win situation that served both of their interests. She silently laughed to herself, reflecting on what she got herself into. 

“Great! Who knows? Maybe you might be able to score a study date with him,” Kirah teased.

What felt like the longest walk in Ashley’s life, the two of them finally made it to the water fountain. Ashley went up first. When she finished, she grabbed the bottle, faced the pair in question, and took a small sip while Kirah filled her own bottle. 

_ God, he’s hotter up close _ , Ashley thought. The Latino was rather slim with curly, tousled black hair. His Nike Dry-FIT blue shirt accentuated his lean figure. As if he knew Ashley was staring at him, her crush temporarily looked up from spotting his friend. 

_ Oh my gosh. He’s looking at me. This is my chance!  _ She met his gaze, gave a shy smile, and waved at him with her free hand. 

He raised his eyebrows, recognizing her. At that moment, Ashley’s heart skipped a beat as he returned her smile with his own. Feeling on cloud-nine, she internally squealed.  _ Kirah’s plan is working; Her crazy, ridiculous plan is actually working! _

By now, Kirah was done filling up her bottle. Phase two of their plan was now in motion.

With butterflies in her stomach, Ashley walked over to the pair with Kirah trailing slightly behind her. Hearing their approach, her cute classmate slightly nudged Arm-Wrestling Guy on the shoulder to momentarily pause his lift. 

“Excuse me. Hey,” she began. “I’m Ashley. I keep seeing you in my classes and so I figured I’d introduce myself.” She could almost feel Kirah nodding in approval beside her. 

“Hey _,_ Ashley. I remember you! Yeah, you’re in my physics class, right? Nice to finally meet you! I’m Pablo.” He flashed Ashley another award-winning smile. As Pablo spoke, his friend sat up from the bench press.

_ Pablo is going to be the reason I fail my next quiz if I keep staring at his lips,  _ Ashley thought to herself.

Following Ashley’s example, Kirah joined the conversation and introduced herself as well. “I’m Kirah! I’m in engineering, like Ashley,” Kirah paused, focusing her next statement on Arm-Wrestling Guy. “Also, sorry if we’re disrupting your workout! We just finished ours. We were refilling our water bottles before we headed out. Ashley still needs to finish her physics homework later.”

“It’s okay. I was almost done before it was Pablo’s turn. I’m Hajime.” Arm-Wrestling Guy–-Hajime-–responded.

Looking at Hajime, Ashley could now see why Kirah was so infatuated with his arms. Post-workout, his biceps looked huge.  _ Definitely drool worthy _ , Ashley mentally agreed with Kirah’s obsession. 

“Ooo, you haven’t finished the homework either? I’m struggling with the free-body diagrams. My least favorite thing! I somehow always interpret the problem wrong,” Pablo lamented to Ashley with a laugh, “My diagrams end up looking like crap too.”

Ashley chuckled, “I’m surprised! You sound so smart in class when you answer the professor’s questions! I’m actually struggling with coming up with the system of equations. It seems we have the opposite problem.” 

“I read and take notes of the chapter before the lecture to try and understand the professor,” Pablo bashfully replied. “Do you mind if I get your phone number? I don’t know many people in my classes. I only did well in chemistry last semester because of him. We’re roommates.” Pablo used his nose to point down to Hajime. 

Ashley internally rejoiced! Pablo was going to text  _ her _ . Sure, it was about physics, but it counted as a win in her books. She now knew his name and they were going to text later today.

As Ashley rattled off her number to Pablo and continued conversing about their woes of Newton’s First Law of Motion, Kirah used the opportunity to interrogate Arm-Wrestling Guy. 

Kirah turned to Hajime and asked, “Since you took chemistry last semester, are you also engineering? I haven't seen you around.” 

“Ah, no. I could never. I cannot endure that kind of pain,” Hajime chuckled. “I study exercise sciences.” 

Kirah lit up in excitement after learning his major. “That is so cool. What got you into exercise sciences? Lifting? You look really strong. I’m kinda jealous.”

“Oh haha. Well, I guess it’s mainly because my friend back home injured himself while we played volleyball together. He always forgets to take care of himself. It got me thinking I wanted to prevent stuff like that before it happens. He’s actually playing professionally now,” Hajime humbly answered with his arm behind his head. 

Overhearing Kirah's interrogation after complaining about physics with Pablo, Ashley found it sweet that Hajime’s friend inspired him on his chosen career path. She couldn’t help but notice a fondness in Hajime’s voice when he brought up his friend. 

Unperturbed, Kirah continued with her questioning. “Oooh. You were a volleyball player? Awesome! Both Ashley and I play volleyball but Ashley actually plays for the school team! You guys should come to her games. She’s getting trained by Olympic coaches. That’s how good Ashley is,” Kirah bragged, not wasting a moment to compliment her. 

Ashley was gleaming at the praise. She was forever grateful that her best friend was here, hyping her up. At that moment, Ashley decided that she would accept all of Kirah’s future schemes. 

She playfully nudged her friend with her elbow, as if a signal to stop, and jokingly complained. “You’re embarrassing me, Kirah.” 

“You should let me know the next time you play! I’ve never been to a volleyball game before. I’d love to check one out.” Pablo feebly tried to excuse himself. 

“Sure. Just text me later so I can save your number. We can help each other with physics. Newton’s third law, ya know? For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction” Ashley could feel the heat creeping up her face at her pathetic attempt to flirt.  _ It’s official, I can die now and have no regrets. _

“Yes, I will be definitely texting you later,” Pablo flirted back, a smirk resting on his face after hearing her forwardness. He leaned towards her, “Especially since I’ll be needing your help with Newton’s universal law of gravitation later.”

Hajime and Kirah gawked at their friends for their nerdy pick-up lines. A minute ago, Ashley and Pablo were complaining about physics and now they were using the subject as a flirtation tactic. Before the two could continue one-upping each other in cheesy science related one-liners, Kirah began to steer the conversation so that she could take advantage of the presence of Arm-Wrestling Guy-- the real reason why they were in this situation in the first place. 

Kirah began, “Anyways, before we head out so that you guys can continue with your workout and Ashley and Pablo flirt again...” Kirah feigned coughing and continued, “I actually have a favor for Hajime. Do you mind arm-wrestling me? I’ll probably lose, but I gotta do it for the Vine.” 

Without missing a beat, Hajime grinned and replied, “Sure. Here, let me clean the bench. We can use it as a temporary table.” It was almost as if he was eventually expecting the request. Hajime stood up and left to grab some sanitizing wipes from nearby. 

Ashley and Pablo eventually broke their gaze in embarrassment and gave a good-natured laugh at Kirah’s determination to arm-wrestle the legend himself. As Ashley composed herself, she wondered how often Hajime received these requests and how many wins Pablo has witnessed.

While Hajime hastily cleaned the bench press, Kirah put down her water bottle and opened the Vine app from her phone so that Ashley could access her account. Perceptive of her friend, Ashley already had an idea how she would shoot the seven second video. 

Kirah handed her phone over to Ashley and followed Hajime’s example-- who was kneeling on the floor, with his right arm bent at an “L” shape. Pablo moved behind Hajime in support of his roommate while Ashley moved to Kirah’s right. When Kirah settled down, she clasped her right hand with Hajime’s. 

“Ready for your 30th win, Hajime?” Pablo asked, massaging his friend's shoulders. 

Hearing Hajime’s amount of wins, Ashley raised her eyebrows. She glanced at Pablo who looked like a trainer preparing his boxer for his next fight. 

Hajime smirked, “Of course. No one has beaten me yet.”

“Wow, Hajime. Are those fighting words?” Kirah teased.

Ashley and Pablo, softly laughed hearing their exchange. Out of all the things she anticipated, she didn't expect Hajime’s personality to be so carefree when it came to arm-wrestling. _ It must be the 29 wins under his belt,  _ Ashley thought. 

Ashley pressed the little camera button on the app before she crouched down, and angled Kirah’s phone. She instructed, “When I say ‘go’ you guys start, alright?” 

“Got it.” Kirah and Hajime chorused. Through the video frame, Kirah’s eyebrows scrunched in concentration; she looked calm and collected. The last time Ashley saw this expression on Kirah’s face was when they pulled an all-nighter trying to solve a code for a project. Ashley silently giggled to herself, remembering the events that led to Kirah’s current state. She commenced, “Ready...set...go!”

Expertly, Ashley quickly tapped the screen, zooming into Kirah’s face before tapping again. Half a second later, she zoomed out again and focused on Hajime’s face for a millisecond, before emphasizing the frame on his biceps. Furiously, she tapped again, focusing now on their quivering clasped hands. She then quickly tapped and zoomed back out to her original frame. In her madness to capture everything on video, Ashley didn’t realize that Kirah lasted six seconds before Hajime smashed her hand on the cushion of the bench press. 

Ashley heard the boys bask in their win while Kirah bemoaned at her loss. “Aw man! I thought I would last more!” Kirah grumbled, with her arms across her chest.

After Hajime celebrated his 30th win with Pablo, he complimented Kirah. “I’m impressed, you had the arm strength. If you work on the technique a bit more, I’m sure I’ll have to start doing a lot more reps to keep up with you.”

Immediately, Kirah’s demeanor changed, glowing at his flattery. “A compliment from  _ the  _ Arm-Wrestling Guy! This is great.” Kirah happily sighed.

“Arm Wrestling Guy? Is that Hajime?” Pablo questioned, glancing at his roommate.

“Did I hear that correctly? I have a nickname?” Hajime asked in shock. “At least it’s cooler than what my friend from Japan calls me...” 

If Ashley hadn’t been listening so intently, she would have missed Hajime mutter “Iwa-chan” quietly to himself.  _ Iwa-chan?  _ Based on her limited Japanese that her grandmother taught her, the honorific was most commonly used for children, close friends, girls or lovers.  _ Interesting. I’ll have to ask him later if I get the chance. _

Ashley clarified, “Yeah! That’s what they’re calling Hajime these days. He’s famous. You guys didn’t know? It’s all over social media.”

Pablo and Hajime looked at each other in skepticism, not believing their words. 

“Hajime, or rather ‘Arm-Wrestling Guy,’ has been the talk of the school since the original video with the Powerlifting president,” Kirah continued. 

Hajime briskly turned to Kirah. “There’s a video of that?” 

Ashley handed Kirah’s phone back to her so that she could pull up the post that was gilded on the UCI subreddit. Kirah then gave her phone to Hajime, who shared the small screen with Pablo.

She watched their expressions turn from disbelief to nostalgia as they watched the original video that started the arm-wrestling challenge. Ashley found it amazing that they went this long without watching the video that became a UCI staple. 

“Poor Danny,” Hajime winced, looking at the screen that showed the embarrassing defeat of the Powerlifting Club president. He handed Kirah’s phone back to her. “Funnily enough, he’s still friends with me.” 

“He probably still has hope that you’ll join the club some day. No wonder people always ask to arm-wrestle and want to take selfies with you! I thought it was just a weird American thing.” Pablo mused, patting Hajime’s shoulder. 

As the guys continued processing what they witnessed, it seemed to Ashley that the video inspired Pablo; she noted a new expression on his face that seemed as though he was scheming something just as Kirah was earlier.  _ I wonder what he’s planning. _

“You guys really had no idea?” Ashley emphasized. Both boys shook their heads.

With this new information, Kirah expressed, “Wow! You didn’t even know you were famous!”

“I just got a Facebook,” Hajime explained while Pablo replied, “I use WhatsApp-- I don’t use Facebook much.”

Both girls replied at the same time. “Ohh gotcha.” “That makes sense.” 

“You said the video is on Facebook and Reddit? My friends back home would love this,” Hajime laughed.

“If my mom saw this, I can already imagine her saying: ‘Pablo, why is your roommate picking fights? You told me Hajime was from a good family. I did not pay for you to go to California for you to be with  _ flaites _ [1] _ , _ ’” Pablo said in a higher pitched voice.

Kirah, Ashley, and Hajime, snickered at Pablo’s impersonation of his mother. Somehow, this small imitation ignited another round of laughter as the four of them pretended to be their parents if they caught them doing anything other than hitting the books at the library.

Ashley looked at the clock across the room. They have been at the gym twenty minutes more than their supposed workout time. As much as she wanted to continue joking around, she also wanted to be respectful of Hajime’s and Pablo’s workout. She’d feel bad if they were the reason Hajime could not maintain his title as the Arm-Wrestling Guy if his workout got cut short.

With her eyes, she silently communicated to Kirah.  _ Time to head out.  _ Kirah nodded in agreement, understanding Ashley’s nonverbal form of conversation.

“Well, it was a pleasure meeting you two! Thanks again, Hajime, for arm-wrestling me. My followers are gonna be totally jealous that I got to meet you. Ashley and I should head back now. Hopefully I’ll see you two at Ashley’s next home game,” Kirah initiated.

“Yeah, thanks again for everything! And Pablo, text me later so that we can go over the homework.” Ashley smiled at her crush and waved her hand in goodbye.

“Yes! And I’ll see you in class on Monday.” Pablo winked at Ashley. She felt a blush dust her cheeks.

Hajime smiled broadly at Kirah, “Thanks to you too. I now have a new reputation to brag to my friends about. See you two around!”

Ashley and Kirah waved goodbye at the guys one last time and made their way to exit the gym. As she exited, she bit her lip trying to control her giggling at the thought of the crazy morning they just had. Kirah looked over her shoulder to ensure that there was sufficient distance between them and the door before she stopped and looked at Ashley. As if a dam ruptured, Ashley and Kirah broke out into laughter, clutching their stomachs, in response to what they just experienced. 

“Oh my gosh! Yesss Ashley, you just got yourself a study date!” Kirah exclaimed, proud of her best friend.

“I know! Ahhhh! Wow. I didn’t know I had it in me!” Ashley squealed.

“I was so impressed! And Arm-Wrestling Guy! Hajime! The video you took was exactly as I had envisioned it!” Kirah gushed in happiness.

The two girls continued raving at each other, overly gesturing their hands as words failed them trying to express what they experienced. Eventually, they calmed down enough to continue walking out of the building in silent giggles. 

Since the two lived in different residence buildings, the two of them continued walking together until they had to separate. If either of them looked at the other, they would burst out again into a laughing fit.

Before they parted, Ashley began, “I’ll come over to your place at around two. Thanks again for dragging me into your crazy plan.” Her gratitude towards her friend couldn’t be expressed in simple words, but somehow, Kirah understood.

“Of course! You’re my best friend.” Kirah easily explained, beaming at Ashley. “See ya soon, Ash! And don’t forget to make me your maid of honor!” Kirah continued walking on, with a bounce in her step.

Ashley bit her lip, with a soft smile on her face. Who would have thought that she would meet her crush and Arm-Wrestling Guy all on the same day? She resumed walking back towards her dorm, thinking about Pablo and his future schemes. Ashley truly felt happy that she had a friend like Kirah. At this rate, she was going to pass physics, get the guy, and become friends with Arm-Wrestling Guy.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Flaites- Slang word for delinquent. (A hint on Pablo's nationality!)
> 
> Any guesses on the POV for the last chapter? I hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3 Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since finding out that his roommate is famous, Pablo has a wolf-of-Wall-Street level plan.

Since that fateful Saturday, Pablo has been quite busy. He would either go out of his way to talk to Ashley or make progress in his plan to capitalize on his roommate’s newfound fame as Arm-Wrestling Guy. After Hajime arm-wrestled Danny, random students would approach them and challenge Hajime. As international students, the two of them originally thought they were not yet up to date with the latest Californian customs. The constant challenges were a little weird but every country had their own eccentricities, right? For example, in his home country he was accustomed to greeting women with a kiss on the cheek. Maybe in Irvine, students would greet people with a good-hearted arm wrestle? Ashley had since enlightened them on the real trend going on, but whatever it was, he thought of a plan to get money out of it so he wasn’t going to question it.

The idea actually came to him as he tripped up the stairs of his residence hall after returning from classes. His eyes wondered and noticed a new flyer on the bulletin board regarding an upcoming Super Smash Bros. tournament hosted by the Residence Hall Association. A tournament was easy enough to plan, plus it was the perfect ruse to earn a decent amount of cash while students failed to prove their strength against his roommate. An evil smirk would form every time Pablo started thinking about it.

Of course, this genius, wolf-of-Wall-Street level, master plan had to be kept secret from Hajime. It was very likely that if he found out, he would come up with some excuse like being “too busy” with “classes” or not wanting to “take advantage” of students. Pablo scoffed, _Pftt amateur_. If Hajime hadn’t already, he would soon start to notice how little time Pablo would spend in their dorm room since meeting Kirah and Ashley. Pablo had to start acting quickly, before Hajime caught wind of his scheme to pimp him out using his celebrity status. 

Currently, he was on stage three of the plan and he desperately needed help. Hence, he was at the library with Ashley, ready to pitch his idea to her and study for their upcoming physics midterm. Pablo waited until they finished the fifth practice problem before he allowed himself to interrupt their study time. As much as he liked Ashley, they couldn’t allow themselves to be distracted too much by their flirtation so close to their exam. He cleared his throat and began, “So, Ashley. I was thinking--”

“Thinking? Huh, that’s new for you.” Ashley jested, smirking at him.

“Very funny. Ha ha.” Pablo rolled his eyes and continued with a smile. “Umm, ok so hear me out. Ever since we found out Hajime is Arm-Wrestling Guy, it has been on my mind a lot. With so many students approaching us to challenge him, I figured why not have Hajime come to them? The first ever arm-wrestling tournament.” Pablo held his breath, waiting for Ashley to respond.

“Hmm. Yeah that would be fun to watch. But you know that already. You’re telling me this because you need my help with something, am I right?” She deduced, pointing her pen at him.

Pablo slightly raised his eyebrows in bewilderment that Ashley already guessed that he needed something from her. Every time he talked to Ashley, he liked her even more. He chuckled and put his right hand over his heart before he dramatically exclaimed, “You know me so well.” Pablo winked, making Ashley blush before he resumed his spiel.

“My plan is to hold the tournament Thursday night at the frat house, after our exam. However, I need help with getting the word out. This is where you come in.” Pablo reached down and grabbed a folder from his backpack and presented it to Ashley. He watched Ashley gingerly grasp the manila folder which contained flyers that he painstakingly tried to hide from his roommate. She opened the folder and took a moment to skim through one of the papers. Despite the flyer taking away from his studies and hanging out with Hajime, he was quite happy with the result. 

“Wow. You’re actually serious about this,” Ashley commented, amused. “It looks good! Did you photoshop the champion sash on Hajime yourself? What did Hajime say when you showed him?” Noticing the sudden change in Pablo’s eyes, Ashley cautiously continued, “Wait a second, he has seen this, right?”

Pablo froze hearing her question. If everything went according to plan, Hajime would be the _last_ person to know. Hajime had a higher probability of going through with the tournament if he had less time to decline. Without thinking, Pablo quickly laughed and waved his hand dismissively, “Oh Ashley, who do you think I am?” Technically, it wasn’t a lie if he didn’t answer. 

Before Pablo could give Ashley the chance to follow up, he deflected the question by pleading with her. “So? Want to help me? You're, of course, invited as well. VIP access for knowing me.” Pablo even gave her his signature lethal smile with a 100% success rate whenever he used it to ask for something. He carefully watched Ashley try to subtly glance at his grin as she continued looking at his flyer. Pablo could see a smile growing at the corner of her lips.

“Okay. I’m in.” Hearing her response, Pablo’s grin widened. “I’ll put some of the flyers up. Can you send me a screenshot of it as well? I’ll share it on my Snapchat too,” Ashley suggested.

Excitedly, Pablo beamed at her. “Thank you! Yes! I’ll send it to you. You can also get Kirah to help.”

“Perfect. I’ll tell her! She’ll be excited to get a rematch. Now, let’s get back to studying. This is the first time that I’m confident that I’ll do well in the midterm.”

Pablo saluted, “Yes, m’am!” Ashley just rolled her eyes at him while he grinned right back at her. They continued onto the next set of practice problems, with each of them taking turns explaining their process on how they figured out how to solve a question. 

With one hurdle down, now he just needed to pass the exam and convince Hajime. Without a doubt, this time next week Pablo would be rolling in his earnings. 

____________________

After a long day of classes and the physics exam, Pablo was ready to relax. Unfortunately for him, all his nerves from the exam had now transferred to the thought of trying to convince Hajime to go through with his plan (after making him aware of it first). Now, after trying his best to avoid their dorm for the past two weeks, Pablo was anxiously waiting for Hajime to return; however, he was nowhere to be seen. 

The time on his phone read 10:17 PM-- if Hajime didn’t show up in the next 10 minutes, Pablo would have to start taking some drastic measures. Luckily, his prayers were answered as he heard the click of the doorknob five minutes later. Hajime strolled in but immediately halted as he noticed Pablo’s staring him down eagerly.

“Oh, you’re finally here. I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while. What have you been up to?” Hajime asked.

Pablo sped through his response in an effort to get to his request faster, “Sorry if I have been missing lately, I’ve been studying with Ashley for our physics exam today.” For good measure, Pablo also tried to look a little sheepish as he put his hand behind his head. “What about you?”

Hajime wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Studying, you say?”

Pablo actually flushed at what Hajime insinuated. “Hajime! You wound me. I swear we were studying!”

“If you say so. I was doing homework in the lounge downstairs. Your exam went well then?” As Hajime kept questioning Pablo, he took off his shoes, backpack, and jacket to sit on his bed.

“Yeah! It was easy.” Before Hajime could get too comfortable, Pablo took the opportunity to transition into what he’d been anxiously waiting for all day. “You know, since I’ve been studying all this time, I really, _really_ need a break.”

Hajime threw him a look at him, knowing Pablo had something up his sleeve. The scary look in his eyes made it seem as though this glance had been used before plenty in the past.

Pablo slightly shivered before he continued. “Let’s have some fun tonight! We need to relax after having all these exams. There’s a party at Mike’s house. Come with me! The guys miss you!” He pleaded with his eyes, staring at his roommate. As much as his roommate knew his quirks, so did Pablo. Every time Pablo used his puppy-dog eyes on his roommate, there was a 95% chance that Hajime would agree to his request. Underneath the gruff exterior, he was a big softie at heart. Pablo sometimes wondered if it had to do with his childhood friend, Oikawa, that he virtually met a few times.

His expression wavered while Pablo internally cheered. _Got ‘em._ Hajime gave in, “Ok fine, you’re lucky my exam got pushed out until next week. What time do you plan on heading out?”

Pablo thought it over, doing some quick calculations in his head. Technically, he advertised 11:15 PM for competitors and 11:30 PM for spectators on the flyer but he wanted Hajime to have some time to mentally and physically prepare himself for the amount of arm-wrestling that he would be doing. Since he closed the Google form last night, he had 80 students planning to attend.

“Let’s get there at 11:00 PM. Mike mentioned he needed my help setting up.”

“Yeah, sure.”

With the remaining time that they had before heading out, the two of them got dressed. Pablo had decided on wearing a pair of blue jeans, a forest-green henley short-sleeve shirt, and his overworn chukka boots. Meanwhile, he had convinced Hajime to change his outfit to his grey muscle tee, black skinny jeans, and white sneakers to show off his biceps.

Pablo checked the time on his phone; twenty minutes until eleven. To get to the house, it was a ten minute walk. They still had some time to pre-game and he actually needed a drink to calm down his nerves. Despite convincing his roommate to come to the frat house, Pablo still hadn’t mentioned the tournament. Left to his turmoil, Hajime casually interrupted his thoughts. “I want half the money by the way.”

Pablo’s eyes grew wide in disbelief and exclaimed, “You knew!?”

“Come on, Pablo. I’m not _that_ oblivious. I saw Kirah put a flyer in our building. Plus, I had a bunch of strangers tell me that they were excited to arm-wrestle me tonight. Even Danny texted me.”

Pablo threw his head back and groaned. All of his anxiety that had been eating him up was for nothing.

“You know, I was going to say something earlier, but I barely saw you this week. I thought it would be fun to see you suffer. Just a little.” Hajime responded holding his fingers out to represent a smidge.

“Ughh, Hajime. You suck,” Pablo pouted. “If sport science doesn’t work out, you should consider becoming an actor. Alright, I _really_ need a drink now.” He didn’t wait for Hajime’s response as he got on his knees to grab a box underneath his bed that contained his stash. 

From the box, he nabbed a shooter and a can of Coke. He rose to his feet and offered the choices to Hajime

“What’s it going to be?” Pablo observed Hajime’s expression. 

Hajime resignedly sighed, “I’ll take the soda. I need to be at my best for tonight.” Hajime took the can from Pablo and popped open the tab while Pablo unscrewed his bottle.

Pablo rejoiced and toasted, “To Arm-Wrestling Guy and to making money! _Salud!_ ”

“ _Kampai!_ " The two roommates downed their drinks and took in the silence.

“Ready to crush them all?” Pablo asked.

Hajime gave Pablo a toothy grin. “I have to keep my title as Arm-Wrestling Guy. Got to be the arm-wrestling champion in Miyagi _and_ Irvine.”

“That’s the Hajime I know!” Pablo laughed. Now that both of them were on the same page, Pablo felt giddy with excitement. Soon he could fully enjoy the tournament, reap in the profits, and add another American college experience to his list of accomplishments while studying abroad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait! I had to break up the chapter in two parts because of how long it is. Plus, my (amazing) editor went back to college in January. 
> 
> I have a surprise for the finale-- any guesses who might be making a cameo?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I apologize for any grammatical errors; this is my first-ever fanfic inspired by true events when I was in college. I hope I made you laugh!


End file.
